Queen’s Park Today – Daily Report March 19, 2019 Quotation of the day “It’s very — from a time of the past.” MPP Amanda Simard says being called “la petite fille qui a démissionné” — “the little girl who ​ ​ ​ ​ resigned” — by former prime minister Brian Mulroney was a setback for women in politics. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Today at Queen’s Park On the schedule The House convenes at 9 a.m. The government is expected to call Bill 74, People’s Health ​ ​ Care Act, for morning debate and Bill 48, Safe and Supportive Classrooms Act, for third reading ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ in the afternoon. The health care legislation has already clocked the requisite six-and-a-half hours of debate before a second-reading vote can be called. Monday’s debates and proceedings NDP MPP Jennifer French’s Opposition Day motion — calling for a government boycott on ​ ​ General Motors vehicles made in Mexico over plans to close its Oshawa plant — was on the order paper but not debated. Two NDP private members’ bills hit the clerk’s table in the afternoon. Peter Tabuns ​ reintroduced his private member’s bill to impose penalties for illegal destruction of public records as Bill 80. Ian Arthur tabled Bill 82, An Act to Amend the Resource Recovery and Circular ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Economy Act. MPPs debated Bill 74 in the afternoon. ​ ​ In the park The Canadian Solar Industries Association is scheduled to lobby MPPs in the morning; ALUS Canada will host an evening reception. Hillier alleges Ford administration engaged in ‘unlawful activity’ Former PC turned Independent MPP Randy Hillier says he was turfed from caucus for ​ ​ speaking out about allegations of illegal activity by backroom operatives in the Ford government. That includes “raising concerns of possible illegal and unregistered lobbying by close friends and advisors employed by Premier [Doug] Ford,” Hillier claimed in an explosive open letter to ​ ​ ​ ​ his constituents on Monday. He did not provide any evidence to back up his claim. The Tories categorically denied a slew of allegations in Hillier’s latest note. “Everything Randy Hillier outlined in his letter is an outright lie. These fabrications are absurd and categorically false,” Ford spokesperson Simon Jefferies said in a statement. ​ ​ On Friday, Hillier — the longtime MPP for Lanark—Frontenac-—Kingston — was suspended permanently from the Progressive Conservative caucus by Ford, following an interim suspension. “Like many people, I had high hopes and expectations with the election of a PC government after 15 years of Liberal mismanagement, scandals, and harmful policies. I could not stand by and tolerate operatives engaging in similar and more egregious acts,” Hillier says in his letter. He listed several clashes with Ford’s chief of staff Dean French and key campaign adviser ​ ​ Chris Froggatt, who now chairs the PC election readiness committee. He said his failure to ​ obtain permission before speaking with media, participate in routine standing ovations in the House and make a cameo in a video supporting use of the notwithstanding clause were all worthy of discipline within the PC apparatus. “I was also condemned for not seeking ‘permission’ to attend my brother’s funeral,” he said. According to Hillier, his potential reinstatement came with the condition that “even when the government is in violation of the law or engaged in unlawful activity, I must accept these decisions as a team member and neither dissent in caucus nor speak publicly of these illegal/unlawful actions.” Hillier was initially suspended in February for heckling during an emotional question-period debate dominated by controversial autism program changes. Hillier, who was heard to utter the phrase “yada yada yada,” said he was making fun of New Democrat MPPs on the opposition benches, and apologized to parents in the public galleries at the time. Tory caucus chair Daryl Kramp said Friday that Ford decided to kick Hillier out of caucus for ​ ​ good because the oft-outspoken MPP “continued to escalate the situation in public and in a way that demonstrates an ongoing unwillingness” to be a team player during his suspension. On Sunday, chief government whip Lorne Coe outlined the PCs’ beef with Hillier in the Sun. ​ ​ ​ Meanwhile, Hillier’s claims about being muzzled were backed up by Independent MPP Amanda ​ Simard, who quit the PC caucus over controversial changes to French-language services last ​ November. “That’s exactly what I said when I left, because I tried to speak and I wasn’t able to,” Simard said after Monday’s question period. “I know that from my experience I was prevented.” Opposition critics have called for an investigation into Hilier’s accusations. NDP MPP Taras Natyshak forwarded Hillier’s letter to the OPP to determine if there are ​ ​ grounds for a criminal investigation and urged Hillier to share his concerns with the integrity commissioner. “With the severity of the allegations, the fact that the word illegal has been used now by an elected member of this House … it’s incumbent upon us to charge those bodies like the OPP and the integrity commissioner to launch a full-throated investigation into what the allegations are,” he said. Hillier brings the number of ex-Tory members to three since Ford took office last June. In addition to Simard’s defection in November, Jim Wilson was ejected amid allegations of sexual ​ ​ misconduct and to seek treatment for alcohol addiction. Tories say centralizing procurement would save $1B in 5 years The Ford government announced a new centralized procurement system would save Ontario $1 billion annually — but it’ll take five years (and a second mandate) to see the savings roll in. Treasury Board President Peter Bethlenfalvy said Monday the government is looking to ​ ​ streamline purchasing processes across government, including provincial agencies, the public service and broader public sector organizations such as hospitals and schools. The goal is to create a “modern, centralized system” that will cover contracts for just about everything from pacemakers to computers, according to a release. The government says it will consult with the public service and beyond to help inform a revamped system in the coming weeks. In the meantime, interim measures will be put in place, such as a two-year limit on new contracts. A Lean and Continuous Improvements Office is being set up to modernize service delivery and increase productivity, according to a news release. Bethlenfalvy also touted up to $8 million in future savings a year by cancelling phone lines that aren’t used or are underused. The changes to procurement are based on recommendations in last fall’s EY line-by-line review. Today’s events March 19 at 7:30 a.m. – Toronto ​ ​ PC MPP David Piccini, the parliamentary assistant to the Ontario Minister of Training, Colleges ​ ​ and Universities, will be on hand at the Toronto Board of Trade for the release of two industry reports on recruiting and retaining young people in skilled trades jobs. March 19 at 9 a.m. – Online ​ ​ The Financial Accountability Office will release a commentary on service fees on its website. March 19 at 9 a.m. – Toronto ​ ​ Three backbench MPPs will each hold news conferences to discuss their private members’ bills starting at 9 a.m. with PC MPP Stephen Crawford’s proposal on organ and tissue donation, ​ ​ followed by Liberal MPP Nathalie Des Rosiers’ campaign finance reform bill and NDP MPP Sol ​ ​ ​ Mamakwa’s PMB Bill 76 calling on the government to align with the UN Declaration on ​ ​ ​ Indigenous rights. March 19 at 1 p.m. – Toronto ​ ​ Training, Colleges and Universities Minister Merrilee Fullerton will make an announcement in ​ ​ the Queen’s Park media studio. March 19 at around 5:30 p.m. – Toronto ​ ​ Finance Minister Vic Fedeli will respond to the federal budget in the media studio. ​ ​ Topics of conversation ● Grilled on potential job cuts as she reforms the public school system, Education Minister Lisa Thompson is not ruling out future staff changes in kindergarten classrooms. ​ “There’s no stone unturned at this stage of the game … We were reviewing all of our options,” Thompson told reporters Monday. The government’s reforms to public education announced last week did not include changes to class sizes for kindergarten and the primary grades, but the government did ask about possible reforms in its consultations, and specifically the two-educator model for kindergarten. ○ Thompson reiterated there will be no “involuntary” job losses when the government raises caps in high school and middle school classes, as announced last week. The minister said school boards “are currently working through where we’re at in terms of resignations, redeployments and retirements” and she will be consulting with them “over the coming weeks.” ○ Meanwhile, a TDSB document obtained by the Toronto Star says hiking class ​ ​ ​ sizes could lead to 800 job losses in high schools and over 200 in middle schools. ● Amanda Simard says being called “the little girl who resigned” by former prime minister ​ Brian Mulroney is a setback for women in politics. “It’s very — from a time of the past … ​ We need to support women in politics and not resort to those types of name-calling,” said the MPP for Glengarry—Prescott—Russell. “The fact so many people are denouncing his comments is encouraging for women in politics.” ○ On Sunday’s episode of Radio-Canada’s Tout le monde en parle, Mulroney ​ ​ ​ defended his daughter, Ontario Francophone Affairs Minister Caroline ​ Mulroney, over changes to French-language services that prompted Simard’s ​ defection from the PC caucus last fall. “La petite fille qui a démissionné, elle est partie. C’est fini! Mais Caroline est toujours là,” the ex-PM said. He defended Mulroney in French as “the best voice” francophones could have. ○ The elder Mulroney later apologized for his “poor choice of words,” saying he “had no intention of insulting anyone” and “instead, should have used the expression young woman.” ​ ​ ○ In a statement, Liberal Francophone affairs critic Marie-France Lalonde said AG ​ ​ Mulroney is the one responsible for the damage to Francophone services.